LE Whiterun...city done wrong?

[Burnout122812]

Okay. I know some of you will say "The Whiterun mods that do exist are pretty dang good". Really? They do have their places among good mods. But do you like a ton of clutter and extra houses that serve no real purpose except to just make the city seem larger or more busy? For people with low end PCs this is a complete nightmare. And for those who have high end PCs...more is just...well, more. Whiterun should be the centerpiece of Skyrim...it is called The Great City and yet feels like a small, useless town. The only thing exciting that happens to the city is Civil War which is utterly depressing cause it destroys the town (an improvement in some people eyes). The vanilla Whiterun just looks like a run down, poor town even in the Wind District. Whiterun is full of history and I find none of that in any part of the city except for Jorrvaskr and a bit of it in Dragonsreach (it's a dragon trap!!!). Basically what I am complaining about is that the existing mods of Whiterun are not fulfilling what Whiterun should be. Hell even Bethesda couldn't get it 100% right.

Sure "Real Cities - Whiterun" adds more but that's all it does...adds more. Even the new NPCs don't have real names, the modder just used "Beggar", "Sailor", "Blacksmith", "Vigilant of Stendarr" to describe what these NPCs are and what they do...which is pretty much nothing but just clutter the Market area (I feel for you players with low end PCs who tried to use this mod).

"7K Better Whiterun" had the potential to be a good Whiterun mod but the creator of that mod abandoned the project almost a year ago but not before promising updates and fixes to certain issues. Well there goes that mod right out the window. At least some of his added houses were for the NPCs he created for the game. But unfortunately all the added houses and a cool tower with a fire signal (like in Return of the King) its all just immersion, which is all right if your into that sort of thing. But again, for people with low end computers a moderate nightmare.

And last but not least..."Better Cities - Better Whiterun". The modder attempted to make the city more lively but decided to only do it in a condensed area. Moving all the market stalls around Breezehome (big mistake) and making it a living hell for players with low end PCs suffering from super lag just to get into Breezehome. I love the market place NPCs he created and they all do their job nicely. Also he attempted to move some things around (guards barracks) and created "guard towers" and a "executioners" stage near the Bannered Mane. But the main problem I have is the areas he added in are just too condensed and I like my Breezehome mods that not only improve the inside but the surrounding outside of it as well. This mod is not friendly for those kind of Breezehome mods. This Whiterun mod is the best out of all of them. Close...but still far.

So what does it take to make a great Whiterun mod? To give it more history and a sense of greatness? I have no clue. What I do know is that the existing mods that do attempt to make Whiterun better, don't. They just add clutter and weigh down low end PC players. I know a lot of modders don't care about those kind of players...but I do. They should experience some of the things that high enders do too. "Better Cities- Better Whiterun" creator did say he was making a "lite" version of his mod for low end PC players. Meh. But what I would like to see is a modder attempt at making quests included in an expansive Whiterun that should include a tale of the history of the city or even new adventures. Maybe an artifact quest starting in the Hall of the Dead that has something to do with the founder of the city...Jeek of the River (friend of Ysgramor), which would obviously include, The Circle of Captains, the Companions and maybe even a story about the Elves and the creation of the Skyforge. (if you don't know what I am talking about go to the Elder Scrolls Wiki - http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Jeek_of_the_River)

Also if you are going to add more market place stalls...spread them out. The city isn't that big that some players will get upset if they have to walk around. The city is so awesome that we don't mind doing just that. Expanding outside the walls would be fantastic as well. And i'm not talking about the exterior of Whiterun...i'm talking about knocking down some walls and expanding on the districts that already exist. I believe there is a mod that does that but I can't remember the name of it. Sure you can add the many variety of mod esthetics that add trees and new flora to the city to make it seem fresh and clean. But I guess the problem I have with most Whiterun mods is that there is no expansion on the awesomeness that is Whiterun. The mod "Wyrmstooth" http://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/25704 is a great example of how a quest mod should be like for the history of Whiterun. Sure, expand on NPC's, market merchants and more walls, but why not give some love to Whiterun...I mean real love of its history and its Nord culture. Now that is a mod I would love to see.

Now i'm not bashing the existing modders who created Whiterun mods, they have their pluses and nice looking additions but I can't help but feel they're doing it wrong and that none of them is helping to improve Whiterun. Now I could learn how to do it myself and create it but the modders here on the Nexus are the masters. I am but a poor humble downloader with minimal CK knowledge. This is why I post this here...for a modder who is looking for a challenge. To create...the ULTIMATE WHITERUN!

Now if someone has already done this...then forget everything I just said and post a link. LOL!

[Derethim]

Nice idea, but the things with clutter and more houses and more (NAMED) NPCs isn't bad. Just get better computer.

 

Quests would take a voice acting, and noone will do that for free or it would suck.

But agreed, it's a boring town.

 

Maybe add atmosphere, like lamps, lighting?

 

Also, the houses are too far away from each other and they could be higher or made to look like they have more floors.

 

Expanding outside walls? Good idea. All the people who couldn't afford to get to the city would ssettle up near it in old times.

 

Bit TL:DR but read it :biggrin:

[Burnout122812]

I do have a decent computer. But most people can't afford to upgrade. I am sympathetic to those who have low ends cause I use to be like that. Comments like "get a better computer" seems smug and inconsiderate. Sure if you want more stuff in your game clearly a better PC would be the obvious choice but to some its not even a choice.

Also forgot to add. I hear sewers running in Solitude and there is a well in Whiterun. Where does all that "waste" run to? LOL! Sewers would be great. I love the Ratway in Riften and something like that in the major cities where the "riff-raff" would stay, especially in Whiterun. I believe someone might have done this but I can't remember where or what that mod was called.

[Tehandyman]

you're thinking about it from the wrong perspective. I could cheap out on my computer and get a crappy one that wasn't really made to run games. But then I would have to make sacrafices. If anyone with any computer could run Skyrim with flawless frame rate and ultra high settings and powerful mods then wouldn't that suck for people who spent like $1500 on their computer. If you cheap out and buy a crappy computer with like an intel graphics card and 512mb of ram, then be prepared to make sacrifices. Having good performance and intense mods are why people spend the extra money.

I agree with your cause. Whiterun really deserves a overhaul mod that really redefines it and gives it character and history, but you keep mentioning "low end PC's" and whatever makes me feel like you don't want a great Whiterun mod, you just want a decent enough Whiterun mod that works for crappy computers, and unfortunately, no ones going to make a great overhaul mod and at the same time worry about "oh but what about the lower end computers???" If a person is going to go all out on designing an extensive city remake mod, game performance is not going to be high on their list of priorities.

 

Basically what I'm trying to say, if any modders are reading this and are planning on making a better Whiterun mod (i doubt it), please disregard anything majikku22 is saying about making it work for low end PC's. If you're going to make a mod like this, please go all out, and don't let "game performance" place any restrictions and limits on the potential of your mod.

Edited March 30, 2013 by Tehandyman

[Burnout122812]

I can understand your point. No modder with a high end PC would lower graphic standards for the sake of low end downloaders. "Lite" version are a great option and not a lot of modders do this. When I do see something like that I appreciate it even more. I guess if someone did an "Ultimate Whiterun" I wouldn't mind seeing a "lite" version of it. Thanks for the input Derethim and Tehandyman.